Quentin Metsys (1466–1530). The Purchase Agreement, 1515, oil on oak. Gemaeldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany. © Joerg P. Anders/Staatliche Museen, Berlin/Art Resource, NY
Quentin Metsys (1466–1530). The Purchase Agreement, 1515, oil on oak. Gemaeldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany. © Joerg P. Anders/Staatliche Museen, Berlin/Art Resource, NY
“Papa” Haydn’s legendary sense of humor can be heard throughout his oeuvre, from the playful Surprise Symphony to the mischievous conclusion of the Joke Quartet. The crafty use of comedy as a means of expressive depth has continued to animate Western music throughout the ages. Charles Ives, notorious for his music’s joyfully irreverent spirit, subtitled his Piano Trio’s riotous scherzo TSIAJ—This Scherzo Is a Joke. No less wicked are Dmitry Shostakovich’s Polka for String Quartet and Moz-Art, Alfred Schnittke’s impish homage to the past master.